Friday, March 2, 2018

When striving to eat healthily, it’s important to pick the right foods to put on your plate. Things that may sound healthy, such as whole grain bread, or all natural-chicken, may appear nutritious, but looks are deceiving. Dr. Kent Carlomagno of Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center isn’t telling you to read every nutritional label on every item you buy, but it doesn’t hurt to be aware of things to look for when opting for a better lifestyle.

Everyone needs a mix of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, in addition to vitamins and minerals for an optimal diet. Foods that disguise themselves as healthy, such as salads, and granola bars, can contain added sugars, or processed ingredients that provide us with no nutritional value. When it comes to eating fresh, it’s important to have the freshest ingredients available. Avoid snacks and entrees that contain added salts, added sugars, and try to go the “homemade” route when you can. Eat non-GMO, whole grain grass-fed foods from stores like Whole foods, Trader Joes, and ones that come in natural, instead of plastic, wrapping.

If you have questions or concerns about chiropractic care or nutrition, please give us a call. To learn more about the conditions we treat and the services we provide at Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center, visit www.summitchiro.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kent Carlomagno in San Rafael, CA, call 415-721-7520.

Thursday, February 22, 2018

We favor a preventive approach at the Summit Chiropractic and Longevity Center in San Rafael, which is why we are concerned about hip pain in children. Besides being a problem in itself, hip dysfunction can affect the biomechanics of the whole body. In cases of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease, it is especially important to provide treatment for a lifetime of pain to be prevented.

Legg-Calve-Perthes disease is a condition, usually seen in slender boys under eight years old, in which blood is unable to reach the part of the femur bone which fits into the hip socket. As a result, the ball-shaped top of the bone breaks apart, resulting in pain and stiffness. In children under six, conservative treatments may be sufficient to ensure that the bone heals in the right shape. However, the children will still experience stiffness in their soft tissues while the leg is immobilized. In order to prevent muscle and ligament shortening, we provide several therapies, including the use of microcurrents and cold lasers. We can also oversee stretching exercises which will strengthen the surrounding muscles, removing some of the pressure from the broken bone, and provide an alternative to high-impact exercises which are painful and complicate healing.

Thursday, February 15, 2018

At the Summit Chiropractic and Longevity Center in San Rafael, we want our patients to know we can use chiropractic to provide them with safe, fast pain relief from a stiff neck. But we also want them to know more about this condition so that they can avoid its most common causes.

Neck stiffness is often related to the levator scapulae muscle. It is what connects the cervical vertebrae to the shoulders and can become strained through repetitive motions such as the way swimmers turn their heads with each stroke or extended overhead lifting. It can also be impacted through repetitive straining thus causing misalignments of the cervical and upper thoracic vertebrae and suffer overuse as a result of people looking downward at a screen too much or thrusting their heads into an unnatural position. Some examples of the latter include sleeping on the front, which pushes the head back and resting the chin on the palm.

We can treat a stiff neck with adjustments, microcurrents, cryo/halotherapy and cold laser treatment. But first, the patient will need to undergo a thorough examination so we may be sure of the cause of their discomfort. In rare cases usually accompanied by fever symptoms, neck pain can also be due to bacterial infection.

Friday, January 26, 2018

People who suffer from diabetes are at risk for long-term problems that can affect the heart, brain, feet, and peripheral nerves. Diabetes effects normal insulin function. When glucose levels are higher than normal, this can cause inflammation in blood vessels and nerves. Dr. Kent Carlomagno of Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center suggests chiropractic care as an alternative treatment method for stabilizing healthy blood sugar levels.

Chiropractors are experienced in treating disorders of the nervous system as well as the musculoskeletal system. This is because chiropractic care and helps protect the delicate central nervous system that controls and coordinates every muscle, tissue, and organ of the body. The upper neck and mid back both responsible for supplying nerve signals to the brain and the vital organs. When those signals and responses are interrupted by misalignment, the pancreas, blood sugar, and digestion are all affected. Along with assisting in the optimal function of our organs, a spinal realignment can boost the immune system and balance hormones.

If you have questions or concerns regarding diabetic chiropractic care, please give us a call. To learn more about the conditions we treat and the services we provide at Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center, visit www.summitchiro.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kent Carlomagno in San Rafael, CA, call 415-721-7520.

Friday, January 19, 2018

We at the Summit Chiropractic and Longevity Center in San Rafael are committed to battling osteoporosis, one of the leading causes of back pain and declining quality of life among seniors. This disease is most common among older women, but a new study found that stress fractures are often undiagnosed in older men, resulting in them not getting proper treatment.

Osteoporosis occurs when bone degenerates more quickly than it can rebuild. This leaves it brittle and vulnerable to developing tiny splits, called stress fractures. According to the study, out of 197 men who developed stress fractures, only 28 were properly diagnosed by their physician, but 70% of them experienced pain. While osteoporosis is more common in older women due to hormonal changes, the disease also occurs frequently in men, and the new study demonstrates the importance of checking for it at regular examinations.

Our office provides many safe, non-addictive treatments pain relief treatments, including cold laser therapy. Some of the biggest risk factors for osteoporosis are lack of vitamin D and calcium, so if you are experiencing early symptoms, be sure to ask about our neutraceutical products and counseling.

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of back pain and stiffness we see at the Summit Chiropractic and Longevity Center in San Rafael, but many patients have questions about the condition. To help them understand it, we put together this introduction.

Osteoarthritis is distinct from rheumatoid arthritis. While rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disorder that affects many kinds of tissues, osteoarthritis is caused by wearing down of cartilage between joints. In the spine, it is the cartilage between facet joints that gets worn down, resulting in inflammation as the joints press into each other. This causes pain and muscle spasms, most commonly after long periods of inactivity, such as sleeping. Drops in atmospheric pressure also trigger swelling, resulting in back pain, numbness, or tingling.

People with degenerative disc disease are at particular risk of developing osteoarthritis. As the discs get worn out, they are less able to absorb shocks, causing the force to be transferred to the cartilage. Our anti-aging treatments can help prevent osteoarthritis and chiropractic treatments can reduce discomfort. Diagnosing osteoarthritis will require examinations, imaging tests, and a medical history so we can eliminate other possible causes of pain. Ask about our x-ray special for new patients.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

In this day in age, it’s almost impossible for adults to put the phones down, let alone out of sight. When we spend minutes, even hours at a time, reading the news or responding to texts and emails, this can wreak havoc on our neck and spine. There are many ways to avoid straining the neck while spending time on your phone, and Dr. Kent Carlomagno of Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center is here to give you a few tips.

Our mobile devices can have our heads leaning forward, down, and sometimes sideways. As the neck bends, this puts muscle strain on the shoulders and surrounding extremities. A simple solution to avoiding text neck is to look down with your eyes and not your neck. Try elevating the phone to your eye level and do your best to prevent fatigue. Additionally, it helps to take frequent breaks from your phone, and change positions when uncomfortable.

Repeated use of the phone up to the ear more than 5 hours per day has shown to have created an increase in the incidence of brain cancer due to emf wave disruption of brain cell DNA tissue.

If you have questions or concerns about chiropractic care, please give us a call. To learn more about the conditions we treat and the services we provide at Summit Chiropractic Health and Longevity Center, visit www.summitchiro.net for more information. To schedule an appointment with Dr. Kent Carlomagno in San Rafael, CA, call 415-721-7520.